


Speed dating

by Late_to_the_fandom



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Bartender Stiles, Derek takes chances, M/M, Speed Dating, Stiles has no clue how to flirt, meddling sister
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-19
Updated: 2018-09-19
Packaged: 2019-07-14 10:07:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,050
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16038260
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Late_to_the_fandom/pseuds/Late_to_the_fandom
Summary: Cora was so dead. He was going to dismember her and scatter her remains, just to be on the safe side. Since Peter came back he wasn’t taking any chances and have her come back to pester him with her stupid plans again.A few months back she had registered him on an online dating site and he had gone along with her schemes. He was tired of being alone and meeting new people was not as easy as one would think, so he had agreed and had even gone out on a few dates. Unfortunately, none of them had been interesting enough to warrant a second one.  She had eventually left him alone, which was suspicious in itself, but the reprieve from her well-intended but manipulative ways had felt like a blessing.Now she was back with a vengeance and a new master plan to find him a partner. He sat on the sofa with his head in his hands as he realized just how screwed he was. He re-read the email for the fourth time and groaned in discouragement.





	Speed dating

Cora was so dead. He was going to dismember her and scatter her remains, just to be on the safe side. Since Peter came back he wasn’t taking any chances and have her come back to pester him with her stupid plans again.

 

A few months back she had registered him on an online dating site and he had gone along with her schemes. He was tired of being alone and meeting new people was not as easy as one would think, so he had agreed and had even gone out on a few dates. Unfortunately, none of them had been interesting enough to warrant a second one.  She had eventually left him alone, which was suspicious in itself, but the reprieve from her well-intended but manipulative ways had felt like a blessing.

    

Now she was back with a vengeance and a new master plan to find him a partner. He sat on the sofa with his head in his hands as he realized just how screwed he was. He re-read the email for the fourth time and groaned in discouragement.

“Cora, you can’t be serious?” He pinched the bridge of his nose, a headache forming behind his eyes.

“Stop being a wuss. You know well enough that you can’t do this without my help. I’ve made it my life’s mission to find the love of your life so stop complaining. You’re doing this.”

 “The hell I am!” He yelled in the phone. “Find a way to get me out of it. I am not doing this.”  The throbbing in his head was making him irritable and his patience was wearing thin.

 

Cora sighed in his ear. “Derek, I’m sorry but I can’t. The fee is paid and there are no refunds, plus these things are always calculated so that people are in pairs. If you don’t go it’s gonna throw the whole thing off. My friend Julie organized the evening and she has a good eye for selecting people. She goes through photos and bios before handing out invites so you have a good chance of meeting someone interesting.” Her reply was gentle but the firmness behind it was an indication that she wouldn’t budge.

 

He cussed out a few choice words and she chuckled. “Stop being a grump! I’ll go with you and hide at the bar”. She was going to pay for putting him through this circus. “This is going to cost you.” He grumbled a bit viciously and hung up.

He berated himself and hated that he was such a pushover where she was concerned. Only the two of them were left of their family so he often caved in when she put on even a tad of pressure. He’d always had a hard time telling her no and now that she was older and had wizened to the fact, she manipulated him like a pro.  

 

He stretched out on the sofa and laid his head on the arm rest. The dull ache behind his eyes was slowly building up to a migraine so he set an alarm and closed his eyes. Sleep was the only thing that would get rid of the pain so he wiggled around until he was comfortable and forced himself to relax.

 

-oOo-

 

He was a few minutes early so he leaned against the wall and shoved his hands in his pockets while waiting for his sister to meet him. He used the time to observe the passers-by, trying to get an idea of who might be involved in the evening. He still couldn’t believe he’d been bulldozed into attending this speed dating thing. At least the venue was being held at club Jungle, which was a pleasant surprise as it meant that Cora had factored in his preferences. She had not mentioned anything to him but it took a bit of the sting out of the situation. Being bisexual was a strain enough so he was relieved he wasn’t pushed into meeting only straight people.

 

Cora’s car finally appeared and he watched her walk towards him. She was accompanied by a blond woman whom he presumed was her friend, the organizer of the event. They chatted briefly and entered the building.

 

The woman disappeared and busied herself with last minutes preparation. Cora made her way to the bar and took her laptop from her bag, setting it up on one end to be as inconspicuous as possible. Derek was happy for the support but her betrayal still stung and he reminded her just how much.

“You so owe me for this. “he grumbled.

She smirked and hugged him. “Yeah, yeah. Whatever. You’ll thank me later.”   

 

He rolled his eyes and turned when a woman’s voice called out to the participants as she introduced herself and went on to explain what the process was. It was fairly easy, with half the people sitting and the other half changing seats every 15 minutes. At the end of the evening candidates could provide a list of the people they would like to provide their contact information to and if there was a match then the organizer would forward the information to both parties.

 

The evening started at eight o’clock sharp and Derek sat down in front of his first contact. It was a bit weird and uncomfortable but the man managed to make small talk and have him relax. He was nice enough but not his type. The second person was also a man. A really, obnoxiously, outgoing man and Derek suspected he might be a drag queen. He was just too out there for him and it was clearly not going to be a match either. The third connection was a woman. She was good looking with dark hair and piercing blue eyes but she was so bland and uninteresting he almost got up and left.  It was easy to understand why she was still single.

 

The evening went on in a blur of men and women and he quickly lost track of time. It was all so strange and fast paced and, if truth be told, he found it all a bit intrusive. He had plastered a smile to his face and had gone with the motion begrudgingly but he was relieved when the two hours were up. None of the participants had sparkled enough for him to be prompted in to sharing his information. No one had grabbed his attention and he was fairly disappointed at being back to square one. The only good thing he was getting out of it is that Cora would stop pestering him.   

 

He shuffled back to the bar and sat on the stool next to his sister. She was involved in an animated discussion with the bartender and she barely glanced his way as he stretched the kinks out of his back. The man, on the other hand, was pretending he was not eyeing him up and he hiked an eyebrow questioningly at the blatant scrutiny. The young male just blushed and smiled shyly.

 

She eventually turned her attention on him. “So? How did it go?” Her smile was expectant and excited.

He shrugged. “I’m not sure how to reply to that, honestly. It was okay, I guess?”

“Well, was there anyone interesting? Any one you’d like to see again?”   

“Nope.” He replied, popping the "P". “And before you start nagging, yes, I did try.”

Cora rolled her eyes at him. “You’re hopeless.” She gathered her stuff and kissed his cheek. “I’m meeting Isaac for diner so I gotta run. Talk to you later.”

 

He was left staring after her as she weaved her way through the mostly empty room.

A sudden heaviness weighed on his shoulders and settled around his heart. The feeling was all too familiar and he did not want to wallow in self-pity. He sat for a while, alone and brooding, stuck in a loop of not wanting to go back to his empty house and not wanting to stay here drinking on his own. The second option won. At least there were people around which was more than he would find at home. He motioned the bartender over and ordered a few shots.

  

The man poured the drinks, seemed to mull something over and shook his head.

“Are you okay? I don’t mean to pry but you seem really,” He shrugged, looking for the correct emotion. “miserable, is what I’d say. I guess. I mean, I don’t know you, so it’s hard to say, but you seemed fine earlier. I’m Stiles by the way.”

 

Derek was caught off guard by the sudden flow of words. Was he that transparent that a virtual stranger could see through his stoical facade? He raised his eyes and just studied the man, taking in his lean body, the moles that ran down his cheeks and disappeared under his collar, the slight upturn of his nose. Stiles was staring back at him expectantly, big doe eyes expressively open and somehow honest. Derek took a minute too long before answering and it obviously made Stile uncomfortable. He moved towards the other end of the bar, wiping the surface along the way. “I’m sorry for prying. Let me know if you need anything else.”

 

He stopped him “No! It’s.. it’s fine, really. I’m sorry, I was just wondering how to answer that.” He sighed, downed his shot and grimaced at the trail of fire it left in his throat. He shook himself, leaned both elbows on the bar top, words jumbling in his mouth.

“I’m not miserable, I’m just…Hell, I don’t even know how to word it.” He rubbed the back of his neck in irritation.

 

Stiles leaned forward a bit, hands splayed in a way that would be caging him in if there wasn’t an expanse of metal separating them. The alcohol was doing its job, blunting edges and emboldening him. Some called it liquid courage and it wasn’t far from the truth. He knew it was out of character for him but he wanted to just be open with Stiles, to unburden the accumulated frustration but the words were hard to come by.

 

Derek had no clue that his mask had fallen but Stiles saw, probably because he was sober and maybe because he felt a weird, uncanny connection with Mr. Tall-dark-and-handsome. The beseeching look plastered to the man’s face was unexplainably pulling at his hearth’s strings, his moss green eyes a mess of emotions, the proverbial window to his soul busted wide open.

And Stiles just knew exactly what he was unable to say. “I get it. The loneliness eats at you and becomes oppressive, even when you’re surrounded by people.”  

 

Derek searched Stiles’ eyes, looking for something he could not put a name to, wanting to strengthen the connection he was feeling with this stranger. “How do, wha-. Fuck, I  _hate_  feeling this scrambled.” He took a steadying breath and started again. “How did you know?”

 

Stiles shrugged and crossed his arms, the movement pulling the fabric of his t-shirt over the lean muscles of his chest. His voice was a bit gruff when he replied. “I’ve been in that place for a while now. Let’s say I’ve become uncomfortably intimate with the feeling.”

 

Derek scoffed at that. “You’re kidding, right?” 

Stiles bristled at the innuendo. “Are you implying that I can’t possibly know what you’re feeling?”

He winced and put his hands up to placate him. “Shit, no! It’s just, how can you be single? I mean, you’re really good looking and confident and, fuck, you’re just  _so sexy._ Why are you still single?”

 

Stiles threw his head back and laughed loudly, the sound rolling over Derek’s skin, vibrating deeply in his belly and settling in his bones. And  _fuck_ , that was the most beautiful thing he’d seen in a long while.

“Dude, that is ridiculous! I’m flattered, really, but you have no clue.” He noticed another patron further down the bar. “Hold that thought, will you. I’ll be right back.”

Derek watched him amble towards the customer, his long legs making short work of the space. He dragged a hand down his face and drank the last shot left in front of him. He was fucked and digging his own grave slowly. 

 

Stiles came back a few minutes later, an amused smile on his handsome face. He sobered up a bit as he took his spot back in front of him. Derek raised his eyebrows and waited for the rest of his explanation.

“So, obviously you put a lot on physical appearances which can be misleading.”

Derek snorted in disbelief and he raised a hand to stop him.

“See? You’re doing it again. Just because someone fits your beauty standards means nothing more than you find them attractive.”  He took a drink from a bottle of water he had stashed under the bar top and continued. “I have ADHD so I never stop fidgeting. You’d be surprised how many people think it’s nothing until they have to live with it for a few days. I literally never shut up, I move constantly, my brain never stops thinking, finding patterns and connections. It becomes just too much. I may seem normal but I took my meds an hour before my shift so I have it under control for a while.”

 

Derek’s surprise showed on his face and Stiles reply was a sardonic lift of one side of his mouth.

“I’m socially awkward, even more so when I’m attracted to the person. I become this blubbering idiot who can’t seem to string words to form a cohesive sentence. Add to that the fact that I have no clue how to flirt and no idea what I’m doing most of the time and, well, you get the picture.”    

 

He was not completely convinced. “How do you manage working in a bar? You must get hit on a lot looking like you do yet you seem to function ok.”

Stiles shrugged, his cheeks turning pink. “People want something or they are drunk. It’s rarely aimed at me personally so it’s easy to push it aside and ignore it. There are still situations that are really uncomfortable and I have great coworkers who just zoom in and take the heat for me.”

 

Derek nodded. He found himself drawn to the young man’s perceptiveness. The lean lines of his body, the warmth of his amber colored eyes, the way his smile lit up his features, everything about him was drawing him in and had him feeling slightly off balance but simultaneously centered. It was disconcerting but far from unpleasant and he found himself wanting  _more_. The young man was frank about his personal issues, he was honest and unapologetic about who he was. It was far from all the secrecy most people kept themselves shrouded in and it spoke to him on a level so deep that had even his wolf aware.

 

He surprised himself with the words that next left his mouth. “What do you do when you are interested?” His question embarrassed Stiles, judging by the way he was carding his hand in his dark hair. The young man shuffled a bit and frowned, his gaze locked on something behind him. He watched him struggle with his reply, wanting to smooth the creases that had appeared between his eyebrows. 

“I don’t know what to do so I do nothing. Then I berate myself for having done nothing.” He turned away, his expression neutral, and made his way to another customer, leaving him to wonder if he just made a huge mistake.

 

Apprehension was creeping back in, lining his stomach with slow moving acid, numbing his senses and drowning the  _want_  and the  _need_  he had felt earlier. There wasn’t anything that could be added to all that had been said. They were strangers after all and although he had felt something settle and click in place, it did not mean that the feeling was reciprocated.

 

He took a few bills from his wallet as he got up and slipped them under his glass. A sudden bubble of panic rose in his body and he could feel his wolf clawing inside his head. There was no way he could leave without trying something, anything. Stiles was somehow important although he did not know how or why or where he fit in the grand scheme of things. He just  _was_. With shaking hands, he grabbed a pen and a napkin from under the bar. The note he scribbled on it was far from a love poem but it was sincere and honest. He tucked it in with the bills and made a bee-line for the door. 

  

Stiles had been busy with a few customers but he had been all too aware of Derek’s hesitation and, ultimately, his departure. He grabbed the note that was left for him and scanned it.

 

_I just couldn’t leave without saying something and I hope I did not misread everything._

_I have no idea what I’m doing either but I’d really like to see you again._

_Please call me_

_Derek 555-1937_

His eyes lit up and jumped up from the napkin to look at the dark-haired man’s retreating back.

Derek chose that exact moment to glance over his shoulder, a mere second before heading outside. The uncertainty that weighed on him evaporated at the sight of Stiles holding the napkin, a wide, open, smile on his handsome face and eyes glinting in the dimmed light. He bobbed his head eagerly and mouthed “Yes” and Derek released the breath he did not know he’d been holding.

 

He felt his own face smile as he nodded in turn while his heart skipped a beat or two or five.

He was almost bouncing on his feet as he exited the building, the wave of relief submerging him was a surprise but felt so unbelievably good it had him almost giggling. He could not remember the last time he’d felt so _light._

He hadn’t even made it back to his car when he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He thumbed it open to a text that had his blood run hot in his veins.

 

_Hey,_

_Just to be clear, you did not misread anything ;)_

 

Maybe he owed Cora an apology after all ….


End file.
